Legumes do have some redeeming qualities, though. Unlike grains, the protein in beans is fairy easy for your body to absorb when they're cooked well. A long soak helps beans become more gut friendly. Still, beans are full of fiber that we can't digest on our own. That fiber, however, gives the bugs in your gut a bean buffet to feast on, which can lead to, among other things, funny jokes about beans. If you know what I mean.
Some legumes have higher amounts of protein than others--lentils come to mind. They're no grass fed steak, but they do have some redeeming qualities. Some legumes are more starchy, like my personal favorites, lima beans. I generally try to avoid excess consumption of all legumes, but I'll happily eat some refried beans at a Mexican restaurant on the occasions when I eat out. Just being real with you. Some of the more hard core "paleo" crowd out there won't touch them, and I do understand the motivation, I'm just more of a moderation kind of guy when it comes to legumes.
Legumes do contain a high amount of lectins, which I wrote about in the above linked grains post a few weeks back. Lectins increase gut permeability, and can lead to some pretty nasty auto-immune disorders. But compared to wheat, legumes are a distant second, and not bad enough for me to shun entirely. If I had any of the signs of inflammatory or auto immune disorders, I would be a little more strict with myself.
In the end, I consider legumes a cheat food that I like, but not as much as other cheat foods like cheese or heavy cream. The carbs will add up with beans, and for my money, I'll take the carbs in the form of dark chocolate.
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